How to retrieve the Executable Path in C#

In C#, you may need to get the current executable file path to access resources like settings, databases, images, or other files located in the same directory as the running program. This can be essential for managing file paths relative to the executable, ensuring that the program can properly locate and use these resources.

There are multiple ways to get the current executable path in C#. However, the method that works reliably for both C# .NET Console Applications and Windows Forms Applications has been identified as the most effective solution.

How to retrieve the Executable Path in C#?

// c# get the full path to the currently executing assembly
string exePath = System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location;
Console.WriteLine("Executable Path: " + exePath); // c# current executable path
//This will give us the full name path of the executable file, for example D:\Working\FoxLearn\MyApp.exe

If you want to get working path name:

string workPath = System.IO.Path.GetDirectoryName(exePath); // D:\Working\FoxLearn

Use the System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly() method to retrieve the assembly that contains the code that is currently executing.

Using .Location gives you the full path to the location of the assembly file.

Path.GetDirectoryName(exePath) extracts the directory path from the full executable path. This is useful when you want to work with files that are located in the same directory as the executable.

The `workPath` variable holds the current directory path of the executable. You can use this path later to access resources such as settings or asset files stored in the same directory.

string setting = System.IO.Path.Combine(workPath, "app.config"); // D:\Working\FoxLearn\app.config

If you want to retrieve the base directory of the executable without using the Reflection namespace, you can directly access it through the AppDomain class.

// c# get the base directory of the executable
string baseDir = AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory;        
Console.WriteLine("Base Directory: " + baseDir);

Using AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory gives you the base directory where the executable is located. It's often preferred over using System.Reflection.Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly().Location when all you need is the base directory of the executable .

Unlike Assembly.GetExecutingAssembly(), which returns the directory of the running executable, the AppDomain.CurrentDomain.BaseDirectory method may return the directory from which the application was launched, not necessarily where the executable resides.